Fast Driver
by aqurianinspo
Summary: A re-telling of the movie, human AU. The same story with the same lovable characters, but with some added dramatic twists and a bit of romance just for fun. ;)
1. Chapter 1: Pilot

CHAPTER 1; Pilot

Let's just get one thing straight.

Ash was, without a doubt, a musician.

Ash played guitar; she made music with an instrument. Therefore by definition, Ash was technically a musician. However, that's where disagreements started. Unlike during the 50s and 60s when it was created, rock was becoming more and more of a dying art. The complex structure and tempo of it alluded many, yet still went unappreciated by most.

Take one look at Ash and you knew that she was one of the few that appreciated rock. Obviously dyed, straight, jet black hair, ripped jeans that squeezed the ever-loving life out of her legs, a wardrobe of torn tee shirts that only consisted of red, black, and gray, and black eyeliner that might as well have been tattooed on her eyelids. If you were to look up "punk rock" in the dictionary, you would see a picture of her no doubt.

Her boyfriend was the exact same, some even called him "Ash in Guy-Form". It was no wonder they had gotten together in the first place. Sure, 3 years of living with what was basically her twin sounded nice, but reality has a tendency of sneaking up on you like that. Not that Lance wasn't attractive, far from it actually. Even with his long greasy hair and scrawny stature, it was basically a universally known fact that he was, indeed, hot.

Anyway, back to the point. For that stupid, dick head bar owner to claim that Ash wasn't a musician… how dare he?! Right? How fucking dare he?! All she wanted to do was get down from that stage, march over there, jump an extra 2 feet up and punch the asshat square in the jaw. In fact, that's exactly what she was going to do, however she was quickly interrupted.

"You know what? Just get out, I don't wanna make this a bigger deal than it needs to be," the balding man said, letting go of the wire he had unplugged a few seconds ago.

 _'Is.. Is this guy for real?'_ Ash thought. I mean, yeah, she knew there were jerks in the world but this guy had to have OD'd on his douche pills this morning. After noticing that neither one of them moved, the older man raised his voice.

"OUT I said!" he screamed and pointed at the front door. Beside her, Ash heard her boyfriend heavily sigh before walking down a set of stairs. Blinking rapidly for a few seconds, Ash followed, gathering all her belongings in silence, knowing full well that Lance was furious. With everything back in their possession, they both walked past the giant man with their heads high. Ash was tempted to flip him off, but used her better judgment instead. As the walked out of the bar, Ash heard the man say one last thing.

"Why don't you come back when you have some talent?"

That hit her. It hit her like a glass door in her face. Actually, that was what happened. Too stunned by the old man's words, the guitar case in her hands fell slightly. Trying to retrieve it, she failed to noticed the door Lance had let go of after passing, resulting in a door to her face. She played it off well, only shaking her head and pulling the door back to walk out, and praying no one saw that.

"Ash, babe, I'm the lead singer. Just stick to the backing vocals, ok?" Lance said annoyingly as they continued to walk forward, not bothering to look back at her. Suddenly, Ash panicked,knowing from experience that even though he seemed calm Lance was pissed beyond belief.

"Sorry, I," she stuttered a bit, thinking of an excuse. "I just get carried away," she said quickly, making sure to stay quiet and stay behind him at all time so he wouldn't lose it in public.

In front of her, Lance let out an angry puff of air, before quickly following it. "Yeah, I know," and that was all that was said.

It could have been way worse, Ash knew. But she also knew that she would likely be receiving an earful once she got home, listening to Lance scream about "you didn't listen" and "why can't you just let me do my song?" and "you always ruin everything". Frankly, she preferred him screaming over the psychological torture he was putting her through right now. He wouldn't turn around, he barely spoke and when he did he they were usually snarky comments, all of it pointed toward pure anger. However when she did manage to see his face, it was expressionless; staring into a vat of black and nothingness. So… was he mad at her or not?

Whatever, she'd find out at home anyways.

They finally made it to the train station without Ash even realizing. Being their main mode of transportation, both logically had a pass, so they got to skip the huge line and make their way to the platform. Lance sat on a rotting wooden bench beside her, grabbing a phone out of his pocket and transfixing any attention he had left on it. Ash set down her guitar case and leaned her back against a pillar crossing her arms and letting her thoughts drift away.

( **The Way I Feel Inside by The Zombies)**

On the other side of town Johnny stood leaning against a wall, his back facing an empty alley.

 _'This is boring,_ ' he even thought in a British accent. So what was the bored boy to do? He started to sing.

In his rational mind, he knew he should stop, but that bloody song had been stuck in his head all day and he needed to do something, anything, to get it out. And as he sang the chorus, he noticed that the nagging in his brain had stopped.

Singing was his escape; not to sound cliche or anything, but it really was the truth. Singing gave him the option to do something he genuinely enjoyed, something he thought he was pretty good at, and mostly it provided he with a way to keep his sanity. In his day to day life, practically living off the stupid walkie talkie his father made him keep on his person at all time, it was fairly easy for anyone to lose their cool. His father would remind him every day, in their lives' work it was most important to keep a level head.

Johnny had always admired his father, even in his early years back in the U.K., he always looked up to him, both literally and figuratively. His father was what all considered "a true man"; tall, muscular, chiseled, he had it all. Johnny had been blessed with good genes and lucky for him, he inherited most of his father's. The physical similarities were almost uncanny; the brown eyes that seemed to shift golden in the sun, the naturally thick black hair, and the full cheeks that made them both seem years younger than they actually were. However, despite all their similarities there was one big difference.

Johnny wasn't too keen on crime. As a kid, he was always taught that stealing was bad, cheating was wrong, and etc. When he moved to America he had no idea what the future held. If you were to tell Johnny that two years after the move, he would be an accomplice in major crimes with the help of his uncles and father, he would have told you to piss off. Yet here he was, standing watch in an alley while the rest of the gang (literally, they were a gang) were off in some snob billionaire's girlfriend's house, where apparently he hid all his money.

' _Bloody brilliant'_ he thought. He kept singing, hoping his father would be done soon so he could go "home". And by "home" he meant "garage-turned-livable-space".

Suddenly, he heard what sounded like static from a radio from the street. Shutting his mouth, he quickly ducked behind the wall without a second thought. Double checking to make sure what he heard was real, he peered over the wall, letting only a sliver of his head poke out. From this position he could see two cops, both idly walking and making conversation with each other. Panic rushed through him as he barely heard one of them whisper "Heard someone singing over here". He held his breath as they walked past the alley, waiting till they were out of sight to grab the wilkie from his leather jacket's pocket.

"Guys, listen. Stay where you are, the cops are h-"

The sound of shattering glass and alarm bells interrupted him, and from an apartment not to high above him, two men jumped out of a broken window. After them, three beige bags filled with what could only be assumed as cash, and lastly another man. The three grabbed one bag each and were prepared to flee until two cops blocked their path, yelling "FREEZE!"

Johnny focused on the last man, his father, as he glared at him. This situation was already turning into something far worse than it should have been and Johnny knew he would be getting heat for it, that is if they made it out. The panic seemed to rise as he breathing became more erratic. Trying to calm himself down, he pressed himself further into the wall behind him, focusing on slowing his breathing and repeating to himself over and over again "cool head, cool head, cool head."

It was only until the getaway car approached him did he realize what was happening. Johnny watched it pass him, then sprinted after it, determined not to let them leave without him. In the back of the trunk his father, albeit angry, reached his body out past the bed of the truck and extended his hand. Yet another quality of his father's Johnny admired; no matter the situation, family always came first in his mind.

Taking no time for hesitation, Johnny latched on to his father's hand, but was surprised when he was lifted up off the ground and flung onto three filthy bags in the truck bed. His father turned around with the same fury as before.

"Johnny, you were supposed to be keepin' a lookout!" he said in his thick accent. Johnny knew making any excuses now would only make things worse.

"I-I know, I'm sorry, dad-" he said.

"And where's your mask?!" his father shot back, gesturing to his own face.

' _Oh right, I took it off_ ,' Johnny thought while reaching in his pocket. ' _Can't really sing that well with a ski mask on_ '. He slipped it on haphazardly, not caring how it looked in the end.

' _Well done, Johnny. Brilliant._ '

Leaning against the cold pillar, breathing in the summer air, letting her mind clear up of any unwanted thoughts, it was all almost tempting enough to make Ash fall asleep right there. Then she heard the sound of a train approaching, the brakes screeching to a stop and the sound of the automatic doors opening, letting people pour out. She stayed still for a while longer, figuring that it'd take a minute till she could actually get on the train. It wasn't until she heard Lance call her name from ahead of her that she opened her eyes. Grabbing her case, she was about to follow him when a paper flew and hit her in the face.

'What the hell?" she thought. 'What is it with me and getting hit in the face today,'

She peeled off the yellow paper, already starting to crumple it up until the bold print caught her eye.

" **Singing Competition Auditions**

 **The winner will receive a grand prize of $100,000! "**

She blinked once, clearing her eyes up in case she had read the paper wrong. Again, she read the paper and to her surprise she read the same thing. Suddenly, her breath was caught in her throat and she dropped the case in her other hand.

' _$100,000?! Holy hell, that's a lot of cash!"_ she thought. It was enough for everything the pair could ever want; new gear, recording studio, advertisement, even some extra for savings. And all they had to do was win a competition?! Lance would be so excited!

Speaking of Lance, where'd he go?

She tore her eyes off the yellow paper and looked through the crowds of people in front of her in search for her boyfriend. She finally saw him, stepping into the train with his phone in his hand.

"Lance, look at this," she yelled, hoping he would turn around and walk to her. She couldn't help but stare down at the paper again, totally in awe. It felt like it was almost like a sign; how else could you explain that specific flyer hiring specifically her in the face?

"Ash, bab-" Lance's words were cut of by the sound of automatic doors closing and the release of the trains breaks. Ash looked up to see the train in motion, leaving her and the platform. But Ash couldn't care less, she hated that stupid train anyways, she'd just walk home. All that ran through her mind was the $100,000, a chance at a new life.

It didn't take long for the gang to lose the cops, making a couple unnecessary turns and blending in with the surrounding traffic made it possible in a little under 5 minutes. Once parked in the garage, the three men gathered the bags that were almost as big as them and slugged them over their shoulders, carrying them to a separate room. A driver emerged from the front seat, doing nothing but straightening his tie and following the other three. Johnny hopped out of the trunk bed, his breathing at a much more manageable level now, and watched them all pile into a tiny room at the back of the garage hallway. The sound of approaching sirens caught his attention and without any thought, he pulled the garage door down with a loud slam.

What he failed to notice was the slightly crumpled piece of paper that slipped in past him as he closed the door. Staring at it on the ground for a moment, he cautiously bent down to pick it up and read it slowly.

" **Singing Competition Auditions**

 **The winner will receive a grand prize of $100,000!**

He blinked in awe. ' _This cannot be real,_ ' he thought. $100,000? That was probably more money that his dad managed to steal from that apartment today!

His mind already started to contradict himself. He knew that even if he begged, his father would never let him go. Johnny and his dad had always had pretty much contradicting point of views. While his father wanted Johnny to pursue and take over his crime industry, Johnny wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. Johnny just wasn't cut out for a life of crime, and his panic attack from today proved it.

' _It was only two bloody cops, Johnny_ ,' he thought. He was always too scared and timid when it came to pretty much anything illegal. Why his father wanted to continue making him apart of every heist he didn't know.

' _I could just not tell Dad where I'm going.._ _he wouldn't mind if I just went out for a while.'_

That could actually work. His father would most likely be preoccupied that entire day, they had no heists planned so he wouldn't be needed.

Plus, imagine if he won that $100,000. He could prove to his dad that crime wasn't the only way to earn enormous amounts of money.

So it was settled, tomorrow he would tell his dad he would be going out for a bit, and he make it to auditions. Now all that he needed was a song..

"Oi, watcha lookin at?" he heard a deep voice behind him say. He jumped a bit, crumpling up the paper in hopes that his father wouldn't see what was printed on it.

"Oh, uh.. Nothing just picking up some trash from the floor is all," he smiled, clenching the paper in his fist to relieve some nervous energy. His father only gave him a curious looking before rolling his eyes and continuing.

"Whatever, I need to talk to you," he said, his tone turning serious while. Johnny swallowed hard and kept his eyes forward, letting his father speak.

"I'm sorry for lashin out on you today," he said, keeping his hard stare. Johnny inwardly flinched, surprised that his father was _apologizing_.

"I know you tried to warn us, and I know how scared you were," his stare seemed to soften a tiny bit. "In those kinda situation, it's hard for me to keep a cool head, eh?" he chuckled a bit before continuing. "Anywho, I'm sorry for yellin," he said, offering a smile to his son.

Johnny, more than a little flabbergasted, took a few seconds to each his father, not knowing if this was all a trick or not. Once he felt as if he couldn't stare anymore, he started to speak.

"Uh, it's alright, Dad. Thanks…" he said skeptically. Moments of awkward silence passed between the two, neither know what to really do in this situation. His father broke the silence with an obviously fake cough.

"Well, I better get back in there," he said while walking backwards. "Your uncles are horrible at countin."

"Yeah, okay," was all Johnny said in reply as he watched his father turn around and walk back to the room he excited from moments ago.

' _Weird_ ,' was all Johnny thought, surprised his father said anything to him at all with that pile of cash in the other room just calling his name.

He was getting sidetracked, right now his main priority was to pick a song and sing it until he hated it.


	2. Chapter 2: Nothing to Lose

CHAPTER 2; Nothing to Lose

The entire walk home, Ash felt a warm buzz throughout her body, making her blissfully unaware of the surrounding people and objects. After stumbling over a few trashcans and mumbling soft apologies to the people she ran into she finally made it to the front door of her apartment. She wiggled then handle, finding it unlocked and walked in, guitar case in one hand and flyer in the other.

"Babe, what the hell happened?"

She turned her head to see Lance who, from the looks of it, was previously settled on the couch now walk toward her with an angry flare of his nostrils.

"I looked like a total idiot on that train," he gestured wildly. "Just sitting there totally alone. Why didn't you get on?"

The entire time, Ash couldn't help but smile knowingly; once Lance saw that flyer he would light up like a bunch of fireworks.

"Why are you smiling.." he said skeptically. Without talking, Ash only lifted her hand up, showing Lance the front page of the flyer. She watched as he snatched the paper from her hand and read the print, mouthing the words until he came across a particular section, then which he froze.

"... $100,000?" he asked, almost as he he didn't believe what he read.

'Funny, I didn't either,' Ash thought. She nodded in response, making Lance smile wide and throw the paper over his shoulder, bouncing up and down and laughing. She couldn't help but laugh too, it was so unusual to see him like this anymore. He suddenly grabbed her shoulders and leaned down to face her.

"Babe, we gotta do it!" he practically yelled.

"I know," she laughed, putting her guitar case down so she could hold both his hand on her shoulders. "But we have to start rehearsing soon," she finished.

"Yeah, we do," he said enthusiastically. Unexpectedly, he leaned down further, shifting a hand from her shoulder over to the bottom of her chin. Tilting her head up, he wasted no time letting his lips meet hers in a sweet yet demanding kiss. He kept her there, pressing relentlessly into her.

The sudden moved shocked Ash; Lance was not a very affectionate person. He had been the first year or so of dating, always insisting on cuddling, kissing her no matter where they happened to be, and sex, lots of it. But all those things quickly faded away. Now, intimate acts like holding hands, hugging, and small pecks were little treasures she cherished to the full extent. It didn't take long for her eyes to flutter close and her body to become limp, begging him for more attention than he was giving. However much to her disappointment, he released her, still giggling and feeling the same buzz she had.

"Let's go, we don't have all day here," he called out to her from the other room, starting to set up their equipment. Shaking away the disappointment, she picked up her case again and strode into the room, ready to rehearse all night.

Getting up at the crack of dawn was not worth it.

Not worth it to stand in this line for what she was sure would be hours soon more hours.

'Fuuuuuck... I'm starving,' she thought.

Fun fact about Ash, she loved food. Actually, loved was an understatement. Growing up, food was scarce and somewhat hard for her to get her hands on. And the rare moments she had food, it usually tasted like crap. So once she was out of her childhood house and on her own, she made it mandatory to try all foods and to love every single dish she ate. And, in true Ash fashion, she had not met a dish she had not liked. The real mystery was how she was able to pack so much and still maintain her tiny stature. However one thing was certain; when her stomach spoke, it made it clear that it was NOT to be ignored.

'Good thing I brought snacks,' she thought while pulling out a bag of licorice. Not that licorice was her favorite, but it was easy, it was accessible, and it was sweet. It meet all her mandatory needs, so it was her go-to snack. She bit down on a piece, letting that first taste linger on her tongue for a few seconds before feasting on the rest.

Hours DID go by, hours of Lance complaining about the heat, hours of Lance complaining about their song choice, hours of Lance complaining that her outfit didn't look right, hours of Lance complaining about the line, hours of Lance complaining about his own complaining. Basically, two straight hours of nothing but Lance complaining. She swore that if she had a piece of licorice long enough she would choke him out with it so he'd shut up.

But after those dreadful hours, they finally inched their way to the front of the line. Now, the snacks had been put away due to the butterflies in her stomach. Even Lance's complaining came to a halt, something she thought would never happen (but she was grateful for).

They didn't need to wait long before the doors in front of them opened, revealing a small and old woman, dressed in a bright green dress and a see-through viser. Holding a clipboard, she walked over to them with what Ash believed was an adorable smile.

'How are old people so cute,' she thought, mimicking the lady's smile with one of her own.

"Hello, Dear," she said in a shaky voice. She extended her arm to Lance, handing him the clipboard.

"Just quickly fill this out for me and we'll have you on that stage in no time," she said sweetly. Lance only nodded, taking the clipboard with sweaty palms. He saw the pen placed on the clip and took it, writing down all the needed information.

"Thank you," Ash said, reminding herself about the manners she had been taught as a child. The old woman smiled brightly again before engulfing Ash's hand in her own two.

"Don't mention it, Dear," she said softly. She nodded her head toward Lance before quickly whispering, "Nervous?"

Confused, Ash stole a quick glance at Lance and saw his hand shaking slightly as he continued to write on the paper. She had the urge to laugh, but contained it. "Apparently," was all she said with a smug look.

"Well, don't be," the woman replied while patting Ash's hand before quickly leaning in. "Mr. Moon's not that scary," she continued proudly. "I should know. I've been working with him for years."

"Well," Ash giggled. "He must be pretty awesome for you to be able to work with him for so long," she said with a smile.

"Or," the woman moved in closer to whisper again. "I'm just that desperate," she finished and winked, indicating the sarcasm in the statement. Ash couldn't help the laugh that rose from her belly.

'Seriously, old people are way too cute!'

Their funny moment was interrupted by a cough from Lance, whose anxious energy was still at an all time high. The woman let go of Ash's hand to collect the clipboard in Lance's slightly extended hands. She swiftly turned back to Ash with the same smile as before.

"I'll run in and give this to Mr. Moon, you two hang tight, okay?" she asked, but didn't wait for an answer as she turned around and slowly walked toward the door again.

"Who's your friend?"

Ash turned to Lance, who was still swimming in nerves. His palms periodically clenched tight against his jeans, then would go limp and pat his thigh, it was his way of try to release any jitters he could. Everyone had their coping mechanisms; Lance had his clenching and Ash had her food.

"Would you calm down already? I swear, you're acting like a virgin at a prison rodeo," she joked, hoping the jab would calm him down at least, dark and crude humor had always been his favorite. However, he only responded by clenching his first, holding it for about six seconds before releasing it to tap on his thigh. She quickly grabbed his hand, squeezing it to make sure he wouldn't try to escape and took a step closer.

"Lance, seriously," she said softly. "I know you're nervous, and it's okay to be," she paused. "But all we're doing is performing. We've done it hundreds of times. We're doing this because we have nothing to lose, right?" He only shrugged. "So there's nothing to be worried about," she said. Again, he said nothing and only nodded. This wasn't a surprise, even in private Lance rarely ever talk about his feelings, so Ash left it at that, letting go of his sweaty hand and letting it pat against his thigh.

It only took a minute or so until the old woman (who finally introduced herself as Ms. Crawley to Ash) came to take them to the stage. As soon as she walked in Ash was hit with sensory overload. The temperature in the room was slightly warmer than the outside air, but only by a couple degrees. The smell overwhelmed her, reminding her of damp wood and paint, and the colors that surrounded her seemed to be the most vibrant reds and yellows she'd ever seen. She was completely in awe, walking around herself as Ms. Crawley led them to another set of doors.

If she had been in awe before, she had no idea what to describe what she felt now. The theater was without a doubt 100 times bigger than the lobby. The hundreds of rows of seats surrounded her, all empty and making the room seem even more bigger than it was. Perhaps it was the darkness that made the theater seem cooler and crisper than the lobby, but the wood and paint smell here seemed to be intensified. The three walked down the skinny path in the center of the room, two of their jaws hanging open. Suddenly, a booming voice from the front of the theater caught all their attention.

"Ah, You two must be…" there was a shuffling of papers before the voice returned. "Lance and Ash.. huh.. peculiar name." Ash squinted her eyes trying to see the person the voice belonged to. Unfortunately, she forgot to her contacts, so almost everything she saw were just blurry blobs unless she squinted and stared for a while. Moving closer, she saw a small blue-ish figure sitting in a chair behind a pop up table.

"Some would argue 'Moon' is a pretty peculiar last name," Ash said, knowing the figure she saw could be no one else.

"I guess I have no room to talk, do I?" the voice said jokingly. The closer she got, the more of the stranger's features become clear to her. He was wearing a dark blue suit she saw, with a red bow tie.

'Either he has a really bad fashion sense or he's gay,' she thought and snickered to herself.

"I guess you don't," she finally replied back once the three had made it to the table.

One thing she noticed about Mr. Moon was his height. Scratch that, his height was basically all Ash noticed. Granted, he was sitting down, but if she didn't know any better she would have guessed this man was a kindergartener. In fact, now that she thought about it, she was almost certain that Mr. Moon was defiantly and noticeably smaller than her. Ash was without a doubt tiny; it had been the one thing kids from her childhood made fun of her for. After years of repressing those memories she finally forget about all that teasing. But this guy must have had it 100 times worse than her.

"Wonderful, instruments!" Moon's loud voice interrupted her thoughts, bringing her back to reality.

"We have speakers backstage if you two want to go plug those in," Mr. Moon suggested, gesturing to the stage. Ash at that point realized Lance had not said a single word. She was about to speak up, but Lance beat her to the punch.

"Awesome, let's go Ash," and before she knew it, he took her unoccupied hand and pulled her up the stage stairs. From behind, she heard Ms. Crawley and Moon chatting as they arranged papers on the plastic table. Sure enough, there were three giant speakers right by the curtains of the stage. Lance was already fiddling with one, making sure it would work.

"You gonna be okay?" Ash asked cautiously. Lance didn't stop with his work or even look up; all he did was nod.

After a couple of minutes adjusting with the speakers, they both brought one out. After the speakers, Ash grabbed another mic and a stand, placing in between a speaker and Lance's own mic.

"Alright, whenever you guys are ready!" Ash rolled her eyes at Moon's already annoyingly bubbly voice. Slinging her guitar over her shoulder, she plugged in the cord that connected it to the speaker. Once everything was hooked up, she gave a questioning look at Lance, asking him if they were ready to go. With a sharp nod, Ask brought her pick down on the strings.

I Don't Wanna by Beck Bennett and Scarlett Johansson

She played her parts exactly like Lance had told her, she did everything this she was told. Lance screamed into his microphone while she stuck to her own vocals, never adding any crazy riffs; everything was normal.

And she hated it.

But more importantly, the "judges" obviously hated it, with Moon even hiding behind his clipboard, wincing. But what was she supposed to do? She was sure that a smoother, more calm song would probably be enough to at least keep their attention on the music instead of the volume, however it wasn't like she could stop and ask to redo their song. Rationally, there wasn't anything she could do to save this audition. Irrationally, however, was a different story.

She had an idea, that's where bad things usually arose for her, but she knew that this audition was failing. And she knew that she had to take a risk if they wanted ANY chance at making it in. And so, she sang.

All she did was elongate a vocal que (make her singing part longer) but when she sang, she tried to pour every emotion she could muster into those three seconds. She tried to plead to this man through her voice, hoping he'd understand the extremity of her situation, and she also begged forgiveness to the partner next to her. She didn't even have to open her eyes to know his were glued onto her with fury.

For the remaining duration of the song, Ash did what was expected of her. She sang her parts normally, no belting of change in pitch. She knew no matter how good she acted now, Lance would be pissed at the "stunt" she pulled, good intentions or not. But it couldn't hurt to try and persuade him.

She strummed the last few cords, letting the sound echo through the entire theatre. She opened her eyes, expecting screams from the two in front of her. "What was that?" and "Oh my God my ears!" Something along those lines. However all she was met with was the blank faces of all three surround people. After a few more seconds of what Ash considered awkward silence, Moon slowly started to clap.

"Well, uh, great job you guys," he said cheerfully. "That truly was… uh," he thought, banging the end of his pen on the clipboard.

"Different?" Ms. Crawley asked, throwing him a lifeline. Luckily, Moon was able to use it.

"Yes! Yes, that's it! Thank you Ms. Crawley, that's what it was! Truly different," he rambled. Not knowing what to say in response, Ash awkwardly laughed, hoping to be done with this shit show soon.

"Well, you two did great!," he shifted some papers on his desk before continuing. "Final selection will hopefully be later tonight, feel free to go home for a while or stick around, but make sure to be back on time, Thank you!" Ash couldn't help but feel like his farewell was way too rehearsed, but with final thanks given, she walked if the stage, unplugging her guitar from the speaker and carrying any other equipment she could. Lance was not too far behind her. Before she even began to think of an apology, Lance spoke.

"I'm gonna go sleep," he said, messing with the speakers again.

"What?" Ash asked back in confusion.

"I'm going to go home and take a nap," he said once again, a bit more stern. Still confused, Ash played along anyways.

"Uh, Yeah.. Okay. Let's go home then," she said, starting to gather her stuff only to be interrupted by Lance's voice.

"Uh, No. I'm going home," he walked over to where Ash was standing and grabbed her guitar. "You are going to stay here and call me when it's time to come back," he said.

"What?!" Ash cried. "You mean I have to stay here for the next, what, five hours, bored out of my mind while you get to go home and nap?!" she gestured wildly.

"That's exactly what I'm saying, babe," he spit back at her, starting to walk off stage.

"This is so unfair," Ash murmured, then suddenly yelled back. "Why do I have to stay here?"

He waited a beat, then, without looking back simply replied, "I think you know why," and when met with only silence, he walked off stage.

Ash stood there, not fully in shock but more in surprise. Sure, she knew Lance would be angry, but she expected just his usual lecture about how "he was the lead singer" and "Ash you ruined my song" and blah blah blah, the same things she had been hearing for two years. To leave her here for hours with no one, with nothing but her phone, was not what she expected. Her surprise quickly vanished and in its place, anger rose.

'Fucking asshole,' she cursed in her head as she walked to the stairs. It was his fault anyways. It wasn't her problem the song sucked so much that she had to save it from certain doom, in fact he should be thanking her. Thanking her for turning his song from a all you can hear male scream buffet into an actual song. Why was she being punished for looking out for the wellbeing of both of them?

She walked and thought, mindlessly making her way to the back of the theatre and to the last row of red velvet chairs. She figured if she were stuck here for the next couple hours, she might as well get comfortable.


	3. Chapter 3: Friend or Foe?

**CHAPTER 3: Friend or Foe?**

Johnny had made the terrible mistake of staying up late the night before the audition. Johnny was typically a morning person, never needing to worry about punctuality or alarms. However last night was rough; picking a song he had to sing the next day for a secret audition on top of almost being caught by the cops took a pretty heavy toll on him. So when he woke up at around 9:30 in the morning, he (quite literally) jumped out of bed and got ready. Green sweater and leather jacket donned, he calmly opened his bedroom door, surveying the scene.

His father was the only one out, tank top and jeans on, slamming a punching bag without any mercy. Getting out of the house, he concluded, would be easy.

He ran over to the corner of the room where his dad was, trying his best to remain as calm as humanly possible.

"Oi, Dad," he yelled. "I'm just going out," he said.

' _Please don't ask questions, please don't ask questions, please don't ask questions!'_

His father paused his punching, holding the page with his hand and catching his breath for a moment.

"Don't be long, I've got the gang comin over," he said, wiping his nose on the back of his hand then returned to the bag with the same rage as before.

Brain barely processing the words coming out of his father's mouth, Johnny nodded quickly before running off toward the door. Knowing that walking to the theatre would take more time than he was willing to give, he fetched his skateboard from the floor, and ran off out the door.

Johnny was a pretty patient person, or so he liked to think.

However, the line he was forced to wait in was a whole other story.

The only benefit was that they let some of the contestants, ones that had finished or were close to the front of the line, wait in the theatre. The cool temperature helped to keep his rising irritation at bay.

Johnny was also incredibly shy; he had been for his whole life. Big crowds full of people were definitely not Johnny's forte. However, on the odd occasion he was forced into public situations, he preferred to people watch. Something about observing other people's lives right in front of his nose was just so appealing.

Inside the massive and dark theatre, he sat in the back row of seats, watching as a clipboard with a stack of papers clipped onto it made its way around the room, taking the contestants names and other such info in order. Still a long ways away from him, Johnny let his eyes scan the room and seats around him. To his left was what he could only assume was a very young teenage girl, who was obviously way more nervous than he was. She twirled a strand of hair that spilled out of her ponytail, breathing shallow breaths and staring ahead. At this point, her mannerisms were concerning, and it was time for him to (unfortunately) speak up.

"Hey, Darling. Are you alright," he whispered quietly as to not embarrass her further. She turned her head suddenly, plump cheeks turning full red.

"W-who, me?" she ask, pointing to her bagging blue zip up jacket.

"Yeah, you," Johnny smiled.

"Oh," she laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, I'm just..you know.." she paused, thinking of the word.

"Nervous?" Johnny asked amusingly. He came to the conclusion that she couldn't be older than 16.

"Yeah," she said. "Really nervous."

He was about to speak when a voice from his right interrupted him.

"Hey Kid, want some licorice?" it asked.

He turned around to see a woman (or possibly a child judging by her height), dressed in a maroon tank top and black skinny jeans with long, black hair. In her hand, she held out a bag of red licorice.

"Uh.." the young girl hesitated, eyeing the bag with suspicion. The new girl rolled her eyes while taking a piece out.

"I know what you're thinking and no, it is not laced with drugs," suddenly, the piece of candy was in Johnny's face.

"See, Big Guy here will test it for you," she waved the piece a bit.

"Bloody Hell.." Johnny murmured. Suddenly (again), she leaned in closer to his ear to whisper.

"Humor and food are the best way to cure stage fright," she said quietly, pulling away to reveal a quite more serious face than before. Still he did not budge, not because he didn't trust her but more because he was still a bit shocked. After all, it's not everyday a strange yet attractive girl waves a piece of candy in your face so you can eat it to make sure it's not poisoned. With a huff, she brought the treat back to her.

"Fine, then I'll test it," she said, and quickly bit off a piece of the candy. Both of the two watched the scene as she milked it for all it was worth, closing her eyes while chewing slowly and slightly moaning at the taste. Once she was done, she swallowed it with a giant and mound gulp and stuck out her tongue, proving she actually ate it. To both Johnny and Ash's surprise, the teenager giggled at the show, which earned Johnny a famous "I told you so" look from Ash.

"See," Ash said, handing out the bag again, "No poison," she smiled.

The young girl looked up at Johnny, then reluctantly reached in the bag and took a piece. Very slowly, she brought the candy up to her mouth and bit down. Again, she surprised them both when her eyes widened, looking at the treat in her hand with disbelief.

"Oh my god," she said. "This has got to be the best licorice I've ever had," she whispered excitedly. Ash was quick to respond.

"I know! It's from this tiny little shop off 4th street, you have to go there sometime," she said, leaning across Johnny to better see the young girl. The closeness of both girls made Johnny lean back as far as he could in his seat, just watching the two girls rave over the, in his opinion, disgusting candy.

"If they sell this then I'm definitely going," the girl said. She reached her hand out across Johnny and continued. "I'm Meena," she introduced herself.

Ash met her hand and gave it a friendly shake. "How do ya do, Meena? I'm Ash," she said with a smirk. Noticing that they were leaving a certain someone out, she leaned back into her chair, looked up and spoke again.

"What about you, Big Guy?"

"Huh" was all that Johnny said, still a little confused at how everything just unfolded.

"You see," she pointed to his left, "That's Meena," She pointed to herself, "I'm Ash," and she pointed to him "and you are.."

"Oh, Johnny," he said, and suddenly his hand was torn off from the seat and engulfed in hers.

"Nice to meet you, Johnny," she said happily. Johnny just decided to play along.

"Nice to meet you too, Ash," he said. Once the words left his mouth, Ash's eyes widened like saunders.

"No way," she whispered. "You're British?"

"What gave it away," he joked, knowing full well it was his thick accent.

"That's awesome," he heard Meena whisper under her breath. "How long did you live in Britain?" she asked, intrigued. A quick glance to his right showed that Ash too wanted to know. He could feel a wave of incoming awkwardness from all this attention approach, but he stomped the thoughts down.

"Ah, well, I lived there till I was about 14 years old, then I moved here with my Dad," he said softly.

"Awesome," Meena repeated. "Do you remember Britain at all?"

"Eh, bits and pieces," he replied.

"How long have you lived in the US?" This time Ash asked with a strange look of suspicion.

"Uh, little over 7 years," he replied sheepishly. "Why?" he asked. Instead of answering, Ash pulled up both hands, pulling up seven fingers then, one by one, counted up to 11. Once she was done, she looked at the single digit, perplexed, before finally speaking.

"So you're 21?" she asked.

"You could have just asked," he replied, finding her method of adding his age up humorous. Before the subject could be dwelled on too much, he shifted to his left again.

"Speaking of ages, how old are you, Darling?" he asked, and again red waves crashed onto her full cheeks while she looked down at the floor.

"I'm 16," she responded, her voice barely audible. Shocked, both Ash and Johnny gave each other a quick glance that shared the same unbelieving expression.

"And.. you're here by yourself?" Ash asked, hoping the answer was a "no". The whole audition process was terrifying to her, and she has her boyfriend (although she hardly counted that as a bonus) plus three years on this girl. She couldn't begin to imagine what she was feeling like right now; alone and scared, trying to blend into a crowd that she clearly didn't fit in with.

Oh wait..

"Oh, you poor thing," she heard Johnny whisper under his breath. She gave his a quick couple taps on his shoulder to let him know he wasn't the only one who felt that way. The sudden contact woke Johnny up from the stare her was giving Meena, who had finally picked her head off the floor and looked at the two.

"Yeah." She saw the her companions faces and quickly interrupted their thoughts. "B-But it's not what you think," she said, waving her hands to dismiss the idea. "My grandparents can't exactly leave the house and my mom couldn't get out of work," she said sweetly.

"So you came by alone?" Johnny asked, still slightly worried. Meena only nodded. "Why?" he simply question.

Meena again found the floor much more interesting to look at and spoke at a whisper. "Well, it's a bit complicated," she said. She looked at for a moment to see both of them stare at her, ready for her to continue. She sighed, realizing she was not going to get away with a broad statement.

"For years, I'll I've wanted to do was sing," she said dreamily. "I don't care how, band, choir, this" she gestured around her. "But.. I always get terrible stage fright. My palms get really sweaty," she clenched her fists, "I have a hard time breathing, and sometimes I even just..freeze up and can't move," she finished, her voice fading off as if she hadn't slept in days.

"So all of this is totally new to you," Ash said, realizing where Meena's mindset was. When Meena nodded, Ash took no time in getting off her seat, walking in from of Meena's, and crouching down to her level.

"Look, Meena, I know how scary it can be to have to do new things," she said, making Meena's eyes lift from the ground ever so slightly "I mean, even today I did something I've never done before; I talked back to my boyfriend," she confessed. Meena's eyebrows raised in confusion, to which Ash only responded with, "Long story," and Meena excepted it. "Point is, Kid, that every single time I thought about doing it, imagined myself saying something, anything really, I was always too afraid to do it," she said. Then, with a smile, she continued. "But today, I let all that fear go, and you know what?" She paused. "I feel so good," she said, to which Meena giggled. "Honestly, I got to say what was on my mind plus I told that little voice in my head that kept telling me to not say anything to go fuck off," she said happily. Again, Meena laughed at her bluntness.

"And Meena, you kind of already did something new," she add. Meena lifted her head, her familiar confused gaze meeting Ash. "You met two new people, me and Big Guy," she gestured over to Johnny, who had been politely listening during their conversation. When Meena looked over, he smiled at her and added on.

"We've all done something new today," he said. With a smirk, he continued "Today was the first time a long time that I've had to lie to my dad," he said.

"Look out, Meena. Badass in the theatre," Ash joked, giving Johnny a mysterious look that for the life of him Johnny could just not explain.

"Point is," Ash said, "it's totally okay to be afraid to do new things, just as long as we don't let the fear get in our way," she finally finished, giving Meena a friendly smile, to which she gladly returned.

"Thanks you guys, who knew strangers could be so nice," she giggled.

"Hey, don't you go around telling people I'm nice or anything," Ash said, obviously joking. "I've got a reputation to protect."

"Pfft, yeah, I'm sure you do," Johnny teased, which surprised himself. He was downright shocked how easy it was to talk to these girls than anyone other person he'd ever encountered.

"Watch it, Brit," Ash said, shooting him a pretend angry glare. Meena laughed at their antics, before pulling her hand up under her eye and wiped a single tear away.

"I need to go to the bathroom and get a tissue real quick," she said, prompting Ash up off the ground, letting Meena up. Once her seat was unoccupied, Ash sat herself in.

"We'll watch your seat, Darling," Johnny said sweetly as she walked down the aisle. Yet again, crimson pooled on her pale cheeks and her eyes glued down below her. The two watched in silence as she walked off before Ash slapped Johnny's shoulder, not lightly but not hard either.

"Ouch," he hissed, rubbing the spot on his shoulder where Ash had hit him. "What was that for?"

"If you keep doing that to her she'll turn into a tomato," she spat back but keeping her voice down. Johnny only stared at her in utter disbelief.

"What are you talking about," he said exasperatedly, leaning in slightly.

" 'Oh don't worry, _darling_ ' 'You okay, _darling_?'" She mimicked his voice with her own terrible British accent, putting emphasis on her use of the word 'darling'. Johnny's eyes widen a bit in realization.

' _So that's why she was blushing.._ ' he thought. In all honesty he just thought she was extra shy.

Johnny rolled his eyes annoyingly, leaning back into his seat and folding his arms.

"You know full well that it was not intended that way," he said sternly. He quickly jumped up from his relaxed position and continued. "Heaven's sake, she's only sixteen," he said, exhausted.

Ash shrugged before leaning back in her own seat. "Sixteen isn't that young," she argued. Shocked at the sudden (and somewhat inappropriate) comment, Johnny changed that subject.

"Aaaand this conversation is over," he said before clearing his throat, hand reaching up to fix the collar on his jacket. Even in this cool theatre, the leather jacket made him sweat.

"You're shy," she said bluntly looking him up and down. Although the green sweater made him look like an eight-year-old, the leather jacket made him look the exact opposite; the soft features of his face became harder and more rugged when the leather jacket was on. Plus, the accent only increased that shy, cute personality.

' _Ash, you have a boyfriend, this is NOT the thing you should be thinking.'_

Ash knew that voice in her head was right, she was not the cheating type; she had seen the aftermath possible from it and had promised herself the she would never do something like that. Ever.

But still, there's no harm in thinking like that.

Just now noticing the long and awkward pause, she blinked her eyes and refocused on reality. Johnny was staring at her, confused yet anticipating. She realized he was waiting for a response from her. She quickly put on her calm and smug facade.

"I said you're shy," she repeated before leaning back in the velvet chair.

"That's why you acted like a deer in headlights when I first interrupted you, that's why you asked Meena if she was all right in the first place, because you know haw it feels to be so scared you could die, and that's why the thought of you flirting with anyone embarrasses you," Ash said as if it was the simplest thing ever.

Johnny wasn't astounded by Ash's accurate assumption of him, but that didn't mean he wasn't in the least bit surprised. Up until recently he believed he had been doing a good job of keeping his awkward shyness at bay, however apparently hadn't been doing as good of a job as he thought.

However, talking to her wasn't nerve racking at all, despite the somewhat intimidating appearance. She was nothing like what he expected her to be; she was funny, she was nice and caring even to strangers she barely knew, she was insightful and observant. And just like before, he could feel that twinge of nervousness sneaking up on him, about to pounce. But he wouldn't let it get to him this time, he wanted to change; he wanted to be a different version of himself here.

"Are we describing each other," he asked teasingly and tried his hardest to look at least a little smug.

Ash was pleasantly surprised by his response. Granted it was not what she expected, but it also was a little better than what she expected.

"Do you want me to make even more assumptions," she teased back.

Johnny brought a hand to the back of his head, pretending to think for a moment.

"Actually, I'd like to have a go," he said.

"Alright, Big Guy, start assuming," Ash said amusingly.

"Well my first one is totally obvious," he started. "Nicknames have some sort of importance to you," he said. Noticing the confused look on Ash's face, he explained.

"You know my name is Johnny, yet you refuse to actually call me by my name. You won't call Meena by her name to her face either, and I highly doubt that on your birth certificate, it says that you're name is 'Ash'," he gestured to her.

"Something about actual names," he continued, "bothers you." He looked up in thought for a slight second. "Maybe you just hate your real name, or maybe you were one of those kids that got teased by the others because of your name," he shrugged. "Either way, people's' names bother you," he finished.

For a split second, the coolness of Ash's look melted, giving way to flabbergasted look of disbelief. However, it only last for a little under second before Ash realized her vulnerability and threw on a smirk again.

"Well look at you Junior Detective," she said casually. Before anymore could be said, Ash noticed Meena walking toward the two of them again. Meena plopped herself in Ash's old seat, the mascara cleaned from underneath her eyes. She brought a hand underneath her head and stretched her mouth into a smile.

"So, what'd I miss?"


	4. Chapter 4: Talented

_**CHAPTER 4: Talented**_

For the next 45 minutes, the back row was filled with whispers and silent laughter all stemming from the same three people. A few angry glares from other around them almost had Ash stomping over to the owners, however, Meena and Johnny managed to hold her back. By the time the clipboard had been passed to them, Ash finally realized how close they were to the end.

"Woah, that went by fast," Ash muttered to herself watching Menna write on the clipboard.

"Time flies," Johnny trailed off with a lazy smile, nodding to Menna when she handed him the clipboard.

"How the nerves, Kid?" Ash asked.

Meena shrugged. "Still there," she said. "Better than before, though," she added.

"That's good," Ash said sincerely. She noticed Johnny writing with finesse and couldn't help but mentally giggle at him when she saw the tip of his tongue adorably sticking out of his mouth his.

' _Stop that, next thing you know you'll be mentally undressing him,'_ she thought with a slight blush on her cheeks.

Her thoughts ran away when she was handed the clipboard. Looking at it, she quickly glanced at the names, then handed it off to the man next to her.

"You aren't going to audition?" Meena asked seeing her pass of the clipboard.

"Hmm?" Ash hummed. "Oh no, I already went," she said.

"When did you go?"

"Eh, a while ago," Ash shrugged, leaning back into her chair. She had been there for what felt like days already, and the theater chairs were definitely not the most comfortable.

"Why are you still here then," Johnny spoke up curiously.

"I…" she began, but her voice soon trailed off. Sure, she was really hitting it off with these two, more so than she had ever with anyone else before. But she knew that there had to be _some_ sort of limit with sharing her personal information.

"I.. wanted to watch the other auditions," she said. "You know, scope out the competition," she shrugged, trying her best to lie her way through.

"Well, how'd it go?" Meena asked. "The audition, I mean."

"Eh, it was fine," Ash said, not wanting to fully go into detail. "Better than some of our performances, but it could've been better," she said watching the current auditioner walk up the flight of stairs to the stage.

"Our?" Johnny asked, trying to pry open the subject she clearly wanted to keep shut.

"Uh, yeah," she said, focusing on the tall man singing on stage, who she admitted was not half bad. "Me and my boyfriend," she finished, trying to end the conversation there. By now, they were all focused on the man auditioning. Although she didn't recognize the song, she was a little shocked when he held the very last note, his voice soft and almost delicate.

While the other two watched the man finish his song, Ash noticed Ms. Crawly gingerly wall down the theater to where the three were sitting. She saw but couldn't hear the old woman lean over and whisper to Johnny, who only nodded and mouthed his thanks. He turned to them after.

"Looks like we're up," he said quietly, looking somewhat nervous. He donned a big grin, seeing the glint of fear in Meena's eyes. "Come on, Darling," he extended his hand to help her up, and she reluctantly took it.

"Break some legs out there," Ash whispered loudly, hoping to give Meena one last confidence boost. Meena smiled gratefully back at her as she walked side by side with Johnny down the narrow walkway. Without meaning to, Ash felt a warm smile wash over her; she felt a weird sensation of pride warm her entire body and couldn't explain where it was coming from.

As other people in her row made their way backstage, Ash took the opportunity to see how close she was to the end. Scanning over to her left, there was still quite a few people who hadn't auditioned, but nowhere near as many as before. Her smile vanished as she suddenly remembered Lance's instructions to her before he left. She begrudgingly pulled her phone out of her back pocket, selected his contact and quickly texted him. Not wanting to focus too much on her phone, she put it back in her pocket in what in what was just about perfect time.

Although she had missed him walking onto the stage, Ash looked up to see Johnny adjusting a mic stand to accommodate his incredible height. She leaned back in her seat, feeling a bit more comfortable now being alone in the row of chairs. She watched as Mr. Moon said something to Johnny, making him smile and respond back, all of which Ash, unfortunately, could not hear. She did, however, get to see his smile, which she could only summarize as adorable.

 **Stay With Me by Sam Smith**

Before she had time to belittle herself for her impure thought, she heard music pour from the speakers of the stage and focused her attention back to the center. She immediately recognized the song; she constantly heard it play from any radio station or restaurant or any other venue that played music. Although she liked the song, (though she would never admit it) she recalled that the pitch was rather high, and Johnny did not strike her as a man with a high singing voice. She only shrugged, ' _Don't judge a book by its cover,'_ she thought.

As he started to sing, Ash's eyes widen in complete surprise.

' _Well, whatta you know? Look who can sing the high notes. And sing them well,'_ she thought smugly. Little did she know, that was only the beginning.

* * *

Johnny felt the nervous tension in his body, although he knew it would not affect his performance. As soon as the piano on the recorded song played, it felt as if the electric nerves in his body disappeared.

He had done his research the night before; knew why the song was written, what the song was about, how it became so popular, the whole sha-bang. To truly know what he was singing helped him sing the song better, he believed.

He sang, and when he did he forgot exactly where he was or what he was doing. It was as if he was in a trance, put under a witch's spell, and there was no point in trying to get himself out. He sang, regardless of whether or not he sounded terrible because for him singing was the only thing in his everyday life he had total control of, the only thing he has the was truly _his._

And when he finished, he felt his nervousness crush him as his mind fluttered back to reality. He opened his eyes again, looking at the tiny man in front of him.

"Wow," Mr. Moon said enthusiastically, quickly writing something down on the clipboard in front of him. "Thank you, Johnny!" He said, finishing up what he was hitting down with finesse. Johnny couldn't help the large grin from growing on his face; he seemed to genuinely like his performance.

Johnny walked backstage again, trying to shake the high feeling away. He passes Meena, almost forgetting that he even knew her. He turned around, still feeling giddy, and gave her two thumbs up.

"Good luck out there!" he said and continued walking off the stage. Little did he know the small teen behind him felt like she was about ready to both hack and pass out.

He walked on clouds as he passed the other contestants, not giving a care in the world to the weird looks he got. He was oblivious to everything in his sight, a feeling he knew would not last, so he made a point out of savoring it. He finally made it to the back row where Ash was sitting, watching the stage intently. He quickly sat down next to her and looked up, trying to see what she saw.

* * *

As soon as Meena walked onto the stage, Ash could tell things were not going well. Her head was down, draping her face and blocking any of her features, including her eyes which was probably how she ran into the microphone. She mumbled a bit, adding apologizes here and there which were amplified by the fallen microphone. She couldn't hear the what the man said, but she heard the enthusiasm oozing from his voice and it made her want to puke. By this time she finally noticed Johnny standing like an idiot in the middle of the isle, staring at the awkward scene like she had. Without saying anything, she grabbed the sleeve of his leather jacket and pulled him down next to her, coaxing him to sit.

Now, both of them say, their eyes fixed on the scene in front on them as they prayed that everything went well for their hound friend.

 **Chandelier by Sia**

The music started, and again Ash roughly recognized the song. But more importantly, she noticed that Meena hadn't started singing. Her long hair still right stuck to the front of her face, Meena looked quite literally like a deer in headlights. She could barely hear those soft murmurs that escaped through the speakers, and when the music stopped playing and Mr. Moon spoke to her briefly, Ash could tell the Meena was completely frozen. Suddenly, a voice from the side of the stage tore Ash's eyes away from the terrified girl. A small man walked on the stage heading toward the center, speaking loud enough that both Ash and Johnny could hear him perfectly.

"Alright, alright. That's enough of that," the small man said, ushering Meena off the stage. Meena barely even looked back, somewhat relieved to have a reason to leave the stage. The man stepped into the microphone, adjusting his tie. "Get off the stage, Helga."

And in that very moment, Ash saw red.


End file.
